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Why Rickenbacker?
- Thread starter tb-player
- Start date
Nope, only folks with a lot of money can. The rest of us plebs have to make do with other guitars.
D
People always complain, or hate the "useless" pick up cover. I use it to rest my R. Hand while playing. So not useless for everyone.
Agreed. The Pup cover is part of the look that separates this bass from it's modern stable mates. I'm a finger playa and I don't have issues with Pup covers, I just move my hand to the left or the right of said 'obstruction'. Grieves me to see folks rip off the covers immediately before playing it and say they get in the way. I think you should learn to play around said obstructions. But what do I know?
Hmmm - not sure I agree with that...
The 5-string did go, but I got another 4-string to replace it.
I still need to get a couple more to get to 10 though!
Gotta be stiletto heels like New Yoik Dolls wore tho'.
Our own version of the NY Dolls, may I say a few years before they formed.
So who's the British equivalent of Rick James then?
Using smaller wire lets you get more turns on a given bobbin size, but also adds resistance, which will damp the resonant peak of the pickup - the high mids will be a little lower.
D
Well, RIC found a brilliant way to sell sub-standard basses: They offer a sub-standard warranty too, which means they won't need to take them back for repairs/replacement. As long as people keep buying them for the looks they get away with it.
(I'm only partially joking btw...)Of course I'm not saying ALL Ricks are poor quality. Many are absolutely superb instruments. But to some degree I agree with the post you are quoting. There are lots of SHOCKINGLY poor Rickenbackers out there too. Even a quick glance through this thread will show you that opinions are EXTREMELY divided and not just on subjective things like tone and ergonomics but also about reliability and build quality. When opinions on build quality vary this much it should tell you something about the manufacturer.
I work at a guitar workshop so I get to see a lot of the REALLY bad ones. My own Rick (purchased brand new) also more or less self-destructed after around 7-8 years (as explained in more detail in my earlier post) so I am obviously a bit negatively biased here...
Great list! Would add Glenn Hughes- his time with Deep Purple (and perhaps with Trapeze in the 70’s).
Luckily the new ownership has improved the warranty experience tenfold. Ben Hall has commented in a few places that the old warranty card that explains the risk of “non rick certified strings” is super antiquated and they don’t turn down anyone who uses their warranty nowadays.Well, RIC found a brilliant way to sell sub-standard basses: They offer a sub-standard warranty too, which means they won't need to take them back for repairs/replacement. As long as people keep buying them for the looks they get away with it.
Of course I'm not saying ALL Ricks are poor quality. Many are absolutely superb instruments. But to some degree I agree with the post you are quoting. There are lots of SHOCKINGLY poor Rickenbackers out there too. Even a quick glance through this thread will show you that opinions are EXTREMELY divided and not just on subjective things like tone and ergonomics but also about reliability and build quality. When opinions on build quality vary this much it should tell you something about the manufacturer.
I work at a guitar workshop so I get to see a lot of the REALLY bad ones. My own Rick (purchased brand new) also more or less self-destructed after around 7-8 years (as explained in more detail in my earlier post) so I am obviously a bit negatively biased here...
I have seen him personally reach out to people with the single-truss rod issues that came from the shift this year.
(That being said I agree with you)
1) Paul McCartney brought Rickenbacker basses to my attention.
2) Chris Brubeck's work on his fretless inspired me to buy one.
3) Flats sound fantastic on it.
2) Chris Brubeck's work on his fretless inspired me to buy one.
3) Flats sound fantastic on it.
I'm not sure that it borne out by how a Rickenbacker sounds. But I'll concede that there are many more variables in the equation than just the wire they use.
A Ric costs less than a US Standard Series (or whatever they call it now) Fender.
If you look at the pickup position response curves I posted, a Ric cancels a lot of low mids, which makes the treble clank more obvious.
The clank is more a function of poor technique and relatively little neck relief, I think; more of an effect than a timbral characteristic.
But the frequency response might make it stand out more, true, though. I guess I have that to thank for really having to clean up my technique when I got the 4005XC - christ, what an unforgiving instrument! In a good way!
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Gotta be stiletto heels like New Yoik Dolls wore tho'
Our own version of the NY Dolls, may I say a few years before they formed.
Love The Sweet
Ain't one mate as far as I'm aware, t'was the US that bought soul to this cold corner of Europe, apart from the fact that Soul in the day in the States was seen as barely tolerated in the 60's and marginal at best. UK took their artists and spat 'em back to you guys where Motown was formed. Soul imported into the UK was recoined 'Northern Soul' as many of the clubs that played american soul were based in the North of England (Stoke, Wigan etc) and there were all nighters of amphetamine fuiled dancers bringing it home well before Hiphop break dancers.
Rick James came later in popular music, when you guys really appreciated your homegrown talent.
When I was a kid, in the mid-70s, the Rickenbacker 4003 was like a private jet: highly aspirational. They were always among the more expensive basses in circulation, something that hasn’t changed that much, it appears. Only working players seemed to have them—which, to me, said it all. And man, did they look GOOD!
The only one I’ve ever played belongs to a friend and is heavily modified, sporting Bartolini pickups. (FWIW, it sounds bitching.) He uses it for reggae. Go fig’r.
I’ve gotten to the point where I do not keep seeking greater satisfaction when I’ve already succeeded beyond my wildest hopes. But if one came around in an outstanding deal, in GWO, I’d totally jump for it, just to see.
And IMO, they still look amazing. I’ll take one in Jetglo, to go.
The only one I’ve ever played belongs to a friend and is heavily modified, sporting Bartolini pickups. (FWIW, it sounds bitching.) He uses it for reggae. Go fig’r.
I’ve gotten to the point where I do not keep seeking greater satisfaction when I’ve already succeeded beyond my wildest hopes. But if one came around in an outstanding deal, in GWO, I’d totally jump for it, just to see.
And IMO, they still look amazing. I’ll take one in Jetglo, to go.
